Name: Riding along on the CPKC Holiday Train
Uploaded: 2025-12-22T05:11:07.488Z
Duration: 2 min 30 s
Description: Canadian Pacific Railway decked out its first holiday train 27 years ago. Now merged with Kansas City Southern and known as CPKC, the company is delivering festive fun all across North America. Lana Zak started her travels in Milwaukee.

Canadian Pacific Railway decked out its first holiday train 27 years ago. Now merged with Kansas City Southern and known as CPKC, the company is delivering festive fun all across North America. Lana Zak started her travels in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee

The CPKC holiday train, originally started by Canadian Pacific Railway and now operated by the merged CPKC, continues its 27-year tradition of spreading holiday cheer across North America. The train, adorned with lights and featuring live performances, visited 13 US states and six Canadian provinces, making nearly 200 stops in the past month.

Along its route, the CPKC holiday train raises funds and collects food for local food banks, having raised $26 million and gathered over 5 million pounds of food over its history. Community leaders, such as the mayor of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, have highlighted the positive impact of these contributions on food security for local residents.

Riding along on the CPKC Holiday Train

Finally this evening, all aboard a holiday classic. It began 27 years ago when Canadian Pacific Railway decked out its first holiday train. Now merged with Kansas City Southern and known as CPKC, the company is delivering festive fun all across North America. CBS's Lana Zak started her travels in Milwaukee for tonight's Weekend Journal. In a blaze of lights, the CPKC holiday train rolls into town, transforming this stretch of track into a holiday festival. It's really joyful. Everyone's having fun. The decorated train attracts crowds despite the cold. It's made up of a locomotive and 13 rail cars, including one that reveals a stage. On this night, the singer, Pink Beard, and the band American Authors got the crowd jumping in four different Wisconsin communities. It's going to be the best day of my life. We were fortunate enough to be part of the CPKC holiday train last year, which was a blast. I was literally texting them, just begging to get back on. I'm like, please, we want to live on the Polar Express one more year. Come on. At a Milwaukee train yard earlier in the day, we joined the journey. Welcome to the holiday train. Train master, Peter Boyle, and his wife, Train master, Peter Boyle, welcomed us on board, walking us through some of the train's historic cars. So it's 98 years old. Exactly. Best part of my job is when we roll into a little town and you've got thousands of people waving, and kids are super excited to see the train. CPKC operates two holiday trains on the legacy lines of the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern Railways. They visited 13 US states and six Canadian provinces, making nearly 200 stops over the past month. Along those routes, CPKC collects food and raises money for local food banks. $26 million and lots of food. Over the last 27 years, we've raised $26 million and over 5 million pounds of food. The mayor of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Robert Magnus, accepted a $4,500 check for his city. There are people that go hungry. And if we can make sure they have more security, it can make a huge impact. Meals, music, and joy delivered. Lana Zak, CBS News, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

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